News and Updates

October 9, 2017

City Hall Spotlight on Charles E. Allen III

by Ross Hunter, Neighborhood Liaison
Filed under: capacity building, community, community service, green, infrastructure, land use

City Hall Spotlight on Charles E. Allen III

Describe what it is you do in the Office of Resilience & Sustainability.

As the Resilience Outreach Manager, I work with colleagues in my office as well as other city agencies to help engage our citizens regarding the various resilience focused projects. By engaging residents on these projects, we essentially plan community meetings and other creative activities as a means of raising awareness and understanding of the various water management and other projects. And, with that raising of awareness and understanding, our intent to engender ownership of the resilience projects on the part of our entire community.

What do you like best about your job?

The best part of my job is when we interact with residents through our various community engagement activities. For instance, through our work, we have cultivated some very good relationships and friendships with residents in the Gentilly neighborhood. Recently, a couple of Gentilly residents expressed to me that they feel our resilience office has helped to put a better face and touch on the work of local government in our community. It was very encouraging to hear that conveyed to me and all of us.

What is your proudest achievement in your career at City Hall?

Again, I feel that our current work in the context of our city’s Gentilly Resilience District project and all of our work focused on long-term resilience and sustainability represents my proudest work that I’ve been involved in thus far. I believe in this work wholeheartedly. And, I feel resilience doesn’t just speak to what we do in terms of water management and environmental issues. Resilience speaks to how we should approach all our difficulties and challenges differently than how we have approached them in the past. In approaching our challenges differently, perhaps we can come up with more sustainable solutions.

What do you like best about your neighborhood?   

I really enjoy the levee along Lake Pontchartrain where I live in New Orleans East. On weekend mornings, I greatly enjoy walking my dog along the levee as we observe the rolling waves of the lake. The overall experience is so therapeutic.